Do You Love Me?
by ImaDoinWat
Summary: Haruka Nanami in the only heir to the Nanami corporation. With the family falling into debt, she is rushed into marriage at an 'appropriate' age, 18. It's been three years since the marriage and it's become quite obvious that her husband would rather spend time with other women. Will they fall in love, or will they only ever be strangers, forced to live together? Haruka X Ren.
1. Lonly

The summary box won't hold the full summery, so here is the full version.

_**Haruka Nanami in the only heir to the Nanami corporation. Yet she can't even run the business, due to her pore health. And with the family falling into debt, she is rushed into marriage at an 'appropriate' age, 18, by her grandmother's assistant. It's been three years since the marriage and it's become quite obvious that her husband would rather spend time with other women. Will they fall in love, or will they only ever be strangers, forced to live together? Haruka X Ren. I'm planing on making this long, so be warned.**_

Rated M for possible sexual content and lots of suggestion along with dark thoughts. NO character death, I don't believe in that!

Lonely.

No one could deny that Nanami Haruka felt anything but that terrible feeling every day. She felt empty. She would cry about it, but that wouldn't help her at all. It hurts more to cry then to pretend to be okay. Her heart aced at the thought of her life being wasted.

It had become quite obvious from the start that her 'husband' didn't even want to love her. He constantly brought other woman home and the next day, they would leave and then be replaced by another. In fact, the first time she saw him, he was flirting with a girl, a few others crowded around him. She had to admit, it hurt a lot at first. She felt her hopes drop when she saw that. She was hoping for a kind boy that would really love her, but at least she knew she would be disappointed.

Even at the after wedding party he was off flirting with the other women. The only thing he had said to her that night was 'I do', and even then he was winking at one of the brides maids. It had broken her heart to see him doing that. She had no future with him, she didn't even have a chance. She knew would be alone for most of her life. She would never be able to feel the warmth of someone's love for her. Or feel the gentle embrace of her own lover, who would be her's and her's alone. She would never have a romantic date, or hold hands with a boy, or get a loving kiss from the man she would want to spend her life with.

And she was right. Her only use to him would be to bear his children and make him look good.

When they first went home together, he said nothing to her, simply leaving her in a maid's care with his arm around that bride's maid from before. They weren't even going to share a room, which was more of a relief then a bad thing. He was OBVIOUSLY going to spend his time bedding other women and never talk to her.

It had been three weeks after the wedding that he did something with her. He had arranged for them to have breakfast together. The moment she had sat down he had said that his father was making him eat breakfast with her, leaving the rest of breakfast to be in absolute silence. Haruka Jinguji never truly existed. Their marriage was so terrible and distant that she she never stopped introducing herself as Nanami Haruka. Sometimes she forgot she was married, but the empty feeling inside her heart always reminded her.

Everyday she was cared for by the maids. They had to keep an extra close eye on her, seeing her slowly fall into depression. She even spent a few days without food. About two months after moving in, while she was still settling into the large mansion, she had been hospitalized due to a lack of nutrition, stress, and overheating. The Jinguji family had been very quick in hiring more maids to watch Haruka throughout the day.

Sadly, they were only there to work. They only did what was necessary to get payed. None of them were her friends, like back at her family's mansion. Back in her old mansion, ever since she was able to walk and talk, the maids had taught her everything she know, telling her about their experiences and how the world worked. When she got sick some maids could skip out on some of their chores and entertain her until they needed to get back to work. But she didn't have that. The maids were too concerned with doing as little work as they could here. The Jinguji household was dark, dreary, and cold.

The only comfort she had was her old piano who her grandmother bought her as a gift so many years ago, teaching her how to play music and read it. Her grandmother was holding the entire corporation together for years. It was a miracle that she had any free time at all, yet she spent every free moment she had with Haruka. After all...her parents couldn't.

They had died in a plain crash year ago, when she was young. At least that helped prepare her for what she was going to live like for years.

Haruka sighed, sitting up in her bed. So today was going to be one of THOSE days, where she feels like never getting up again, just dying in bed, right there and then. She groaned, forcing herself up. She couldn't die, not yet. She at least had to eat first. She pushed herself up, hearing her back crack as she moved. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and pushed herself off, tumbling a little from her exhaustion.

She yawned, dragging her feet to her dresser. She tore off her yellow nightgown and grabbed a simple red dress with frillies going up and down one side by her right hips, a pink flower sown on her left shoulder and a brown belt around the waist. She really didn't want to wear this. She use to always wear commoner dresses, or just a nice shirt over a long skirt or a short skirt with leggings. She made sure the dress was zipped up properly before heading to the door, gripping the doorknob and turning it, letting the coldness of the hallways flood into her warm room. Before stepping out, she turned to the large, black piano in her room, smiling a sad smile at it.

"Goodbye, I'll be back later." Haruka croaked before turning away. She stepped out into the hallway and sighed, frowning again. "Well, here goes nothing."

_Yay! First chapter! This, like I said in the beginning, is going to be a long one with some dark themes, no tragedy. The saddest things in here are death of characters not even alive from the beginning._


	2. Another Breakfast

Haruka walked through the long, white halls sluggishly. She let her feet drag on the ground and let out a yawn. She knew this hall like the back of her hand, since she had been walking up and down it for three years. She turned a corner and stopped in front of a big, white door, fancy golden curls drawn around it. It shown in the light of a large window that stretched all along one side of the other hallway, making it almost look like heaven's gate. But, sadly, the doors in the Jinguji household only lead to hell. And satan was on the other side.

Sighing, she pulled open the doors using the large, brass handles, feeling the weight of the door in her arms. She stepped inside. The room was also plain white, a large able stretching out in the nearly empty room. The table was oval shaped and draped in a golden table cloth. The chairs stationed around it were like thrones, made of yellow colored wood, carved into beautiful designs and a red, velvet cushion placed on it to sit on.

The ceiling was curved up, like in a ballroom. And, attached to the very top was a golden chandelier. It's polls were scattered around in an almost seemingly random and bizarre fashion, almost like the routs of a tree, pulled up by a storm. Along the edges of the polls were little lights, shaped like candles. And the glow they emanated almost seemed like fire light. At night the room would be lit up in a beautiful orange, but in the morning the window let streams of white light into the room, making it glow.

Haruka sat down in one of the many seats lining the hallway. The moment she got comfortable, the door she had come in through opened. Haruka turned her head to see the man who had entered.

He had long, beautiful blond hair and ocean blue eyes. His face was perfectly sculpted, making him look like a model. His lips were perfect, a beautiful red and in size. His skin was perfect, not a freckle or blemish to be seen on his creamy skin. He walked with his head held high, not paying an attention to her at all. She could sense the sexual aura he emanated, it rose off him like steam, filling the air with it's scent. He looked a bit like a lion with his long, blond hair that curled around his strongly fetched face. The way his body swung around after each step he took was hypnotic. She would have been enraptured by him if he wasn't the one who put her in the hell in which she had been forced into for years.

Ren Jinguji, her husband for the last three years. Haruka briefly wondered if he remembered their three year anniversary in a month, but knew he didn't. He never remembered before, so he would not now.

He walked over to the table and sat down on the opposite side of the table, not even bothering to look at her. He simply picked up a bell and shook it, letting it's luscious diamond sound ripple through the thick atmosphere that had collected the moment they were in the same room.

The doors on the other side of the room opened, letting the rich scent of luscious foods waft into the room. A tall man in his late sixties entered the room. He had short, white hair, on his head and under his nose, and muddy brown eyes. He had a white chef's hat in his right hand and a ladle in the left hand. He was dressed in a pure white cooking cloak, standing upright. Standing next to him way a younger boy, his son. He was in his early twenties, had short, black hair, and steel gray eyes, a big smile on his face, priding himself on his work like usual. He was dressed in a cook's uniform as well, except this one was a bit too big for him and had food stains dotting it.

They were followed by a line of other chefs who were carrying food on plates in. The older chef bowed politely at them, greeting them nicely before listing off the meal he and his staff had set up while they played to food in front of the two of them, his son following soon after, originally forgetting to bow as well. Eggs, bacon, pancakes-nothing special. The staff lifted the mettle half sphere, revealing the delectable food.

Her portion was small, the staff learning over time that she didn't eat a lot in the morning any more. Ren began to eat, not bothering to thank the staff for the food, like always. Haruka politely thanked them before slowly scooping the food into her mouth, forcing herself to eat the gourmet food.

"Haruka." Haruka jumped, hearing a deep rumbling voice call her name. She looked up, her golden eyes meeting with icy blue once. Ren was looking directly at her, his face serious and harsh. Haruka shrunk under his intense gaze, not sure how to react. They hadn't spoken a word in about a month, so to have him address her like that made her worry a bit. Would he hit her? She really didn't know enough about him to know if he would do that, but the thought that he might made her shiver, her shoulders tensed and her eyes looking away from his.

"Y-yes?" She shakily answered, not sure if he was waiting for her to answer or not, but wanting him to stop looking at her as soon as possible, wanting him to continue ignoring her again.

"I have a business associate coming over today at around noon, I want you to make yourself scarce." Ren said, going back to eating. Haruka felt like a rag doll, being forced to do things without any respect or kindness. But she didn't care anymore.

She had accepted her fate a long time ago. She would never be loved again and certainly would die old, bitter, and alone-whether or not Ren died before her. Perhaps her children would love her, since she would surely need to produce an heir.

Suddenly, Ren pushed back his chair. Startled, she looked up at him. He turned away from her and walked to the door, leaving.

"Don't forget." His finished, opening and closing the heaven's gate like door behind him. Haruka stared at the door even after he had left. Haruka looked down at her plate, seeing that most of the food was still there. She had just barely eaten anything, maybe just a few forkfuls of eggs. But after talking to Ren, she had lost all of her appetite. In fact, she wanted to hurl.

She slid the chair back, trying not to make a noise. She carefully walked out of the room, making sure that she was silent, as if she had done something wrong and was sneaking away.

"I wonder who is coming over. He's never cared about me being here when his business associates were here before." And with that, Haruka began her long and lonely walk of shame back to her room, making sure to drag her feet all the way.

_**Ha ha! I'm back with a second chapter of 'Do you love me?' and I'm loving what I'm writing! Sorry if I'm moving into the plot too quickly, but I really didn't know how else to set this up! Not to mention I was getting bored...and I'm sure I would have fallen into a state of depression if I kept writing this like the first chapter. And you would too :P. So here you go, like I promised one of my readers I got it up before the end of the weekend. I'll post the next chapter soon, don't know how soon, but I don't like to make you guys wait.**_

_**Oh, and thank you to the four people who decided to follow this along with those who had previously followed this and those planning to.**_


	3. Bumping Right Into Fate

Haruka Nanami was walking through the hallway, heading to the bathroom, since hers was clogged. She was deep in thought, and you could tell. She was looking up blankly, swerving a little, nearly bumping into things from lack of attention. Something about the fact Ren didn't want her to see his business partner was strange to her. He'd never told her to keep away from him during a meeting. Heck, she wouldn't go looking for him if he asked her too.

Was he hiding something from her? Was it something about her? The thought of him doing something that involved her behind her back really pissed her off. It better not be something like that, unless it was a divorce. But she would want to be there to get the papers signed as soon as possible. But then again, she really didn't think he would care if they were married. He would sleep with any woman, as long as they had a nice figure. And she doubted he had found a girl he wasn't just using as a sex toy.

Haruka sighed. What was it that made this business meeting different than the others? Why did she even care?! It has nothing to do with her! She shouldn't care what he does. He's crazy anyways!

Maybe the company was in trouble and he didn't want her to say anything they would get them in trouble? But she WAS raised to be the head of a company, even if she ended up too frail to do it, she still knew how to get something out of people, even if she didn't like the method, at least she knew how.

Gah! She's thinking about him again?! Out of frustration, she threw her foot forward. She unexpectedly clashed her food against the wooden leg of a table in the hallway. She felt ain weld up after the screeching of the table being noisily scraped against the ground echoed through the air. Haruka inhaled quickly in shock and then clenched her teeth, hissing in pain. She curled her fingers and toes, squared her shoulders, tensed her body, and closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to go away. When it dimed, she let her breath go and she relaxed.

She opened her eyes and began to walk again when she stopped. She looked around, confused. Then her features turned to fear as she desperately looked for a land mark. No luck. She was lost in her own home.

She began to walk again, hoping to find something, anything to tell her where she was. She had never been here before, since she had never wandered around, exploring, like other people would have done. Don't get her wrong, she loves to explore as a kid. She loved to explore her mansion. It was so big to her when she was younger. But the Jinguji household was even bigger than her old home. It made her feel small, and she didn't like that.

She also liked to explore the huge garden her family had in the backyard. It was practically a forest! It had beautiful cherry blossom trees and large arrays of beautiful flowers. They had ten staff members just assigned to working in the garden, weeding it, watering them, planting new flowers, and pulling out dead ones. The gardeners had taught her how to do all of that when she was a little girl. She loved planting flowers in the spring time, she even got to pick flowers to grow when she was older. Her grandmother had actually bought her a long flower pot that hung on her window sill, so she would leave the gardeners alone to work, not that it ever kept her out of the gardon. She also use to go into the Arboretum, right notes to the orchard to explore in all the hidden crevices and also began to write music on one of the benches when she was older.

She stopped, looking around again. Great. She had been thinking so hard again that she had gotten even more lost! She would never get back to her room now! All she wanted was to go to the bathroom! This whole thing was all Ren's fault! If he hadn't told her to stay out of the way, then she wouldnt of had this entire issue! If he had just told her why, then she wouldn't have been thinking about it for so long. If he hadn't made her miss home so much she wouldn't be even more lost. If he wasn't such an idiot, then she would have a better life. She was miserable thanks to him, and now she was lost. She would die in these hallways, if the atmosphere around them when Ren was around didn't choke her first.

Haruka, a little panicked, even more lost after drifting off, began to move faster, quickly rounding a corner. Suddenly, she colliding with something.

"Ow!" She fell back onto her butt, feeling the bruise that would surely form by the next day.

"Ouf!" Haruka looked up, her eyes meeting the figure of a young boy she'd never seen before. He was wearing a black coat over a thin white shirt. The black suit was wrinkled and unbuttoned while the white shirt was also wrinkled and only partially tucked into his pants. He had long, light gray pants which looked a little big on him. He was also wearing black sneakers, the laces messily tied. All in all, he looked like he was in a rush this morning. Haruka's eyes drifted up to his face, sucking in a gasp. He was extremely handsome! He had a sculpted face with fine feachers, a little baby fat on his cheeks, making him look like a really sweet person. He had messy, red hair and matching eyes, surprise lit up on his face.

He was standing up still, looking down at her, still in shock of being run into all of a sudden. He blinked once before smiling at her. What a beautiful smile! It warmed her heart simply being real. He chuckled once and extended his large hand to her, bending down to her.

"Daijōbu?" He asked. Haruka nodded, her breath taken away by his beauty. She took his hand and he pulled her up.

"Gomenasai." Haruka said, bowing.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." He assured. Haruka smiled lightly at him, her cheeks dusted with a bit of red.

"I'm Otoya Ittoki, what's your name?" The boy asked.

"Nanami Haruka." She smiled.

"Nanami-san? It's nice to meet you!"

"Yeah...it's nice to meet you took." And you know what?

It really was.

_**Ha! I'm moving the plot fast and slow at the same time! Try wraping you head around that! Thanks for reading, please fave, review, and follow! Thanks!**_


	4. The Mistake

"So even though you live here you still got lost?" Otoya chuckled, causing Haruka to frown a little. The two of them were walking down the hallway together now. Otoya was kind enough to try to help her find her way back to her room after finding out she was lost. Multiple times throughout the walk Otoya had fixed his clothes, as if he was trying to subtlety make himself look nicer. He had tucked in his white shirt and buttoned his coat up. He was very friendly and smiled at everything she said.

"Well I never went this way before." Haruka said defensively, twirling a strand of her pink hair in her fingers. Otoya chuckled again.

"Then why did you go this way today?" He playfully nudged her shoulder, causing Haruka to pout.

"I just wondered a little too much, that all." Haruka said, looking down. Otoya, sensing her displeasure, quickly changed the topic.

"So, how long have you lived here?" He asked.

"Three years." Haruka said.

"Really? What job do you have?" Haruka frowned. How would she explain this?

"Well, my job isn't really a job." Haruka said, not wanting to talk about the marriage. The last thing she wanted was to ruin their new friendship by telling him that she's married to the most powerful man in the entire building and one of the most powerful in all of Japan. She also just didn't want people to know they were married. Yes, she knew how terrible that is, not wanting someone, anyone to know you're married, but it was the truth. Otoya tilted his head, confused. "All I have to do is be alive."

"What kind of a job is that?"

"A hard one, that's for sure." Haruka sighed, frowning. "I don't even want to be here... What about you? I've never seen you around here before." Haruka asked, looking back up at Otoya. They stopped walking, turning to each other. They held eye contact, wanting to talk face to face.

"Oh, I don't work here." Otoya said. Haruka blinked. He didn't work here? Then why was he here? Wait-was he-

"Um, what time is it?" Haruka asked nervously, panic rising up in her chest. Otoya raised an eyebrow, confused by her sudden need to know the time. Never the less, he pulled his sleeve back, moved his arm to his face, and looked at his watch.

"It's about 12:23, why?" He asked, letting his arm fall back to his side. Haruka's eyes widened. Was he the special guest that Ren had talked about? She straightened up, afraid that she may have just acted and spoke to familiarly to an important person.

"O-oh, I see." Haruka said, suddenly nervous. The only powerful people she had even spoken to were her grandmother and Ren. She was definitely nervous now. Ren had told her he wanted her to disappear during the conference, basically saying he didn't want her to talk to his business partner and now she even ran into him! Ren was going to be mad. She should have just stayed in her room!

Otoya's eyes widened and he jumped, shaking his head. "Oh no, I know what you're thinking! I'm not Jinguji's business associate, that's my employer and his younger brother!" Otoya said, shaking his head. Haruka visually relaxed, letting out her held breath.

"Thank goodness, I thought I just embarrassed myself in front of someone really important!" Haruka said, slouching a little.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Otoya asked, giving her an apologetic smile.

"No, it was my fault. I shouldn't of just jumped to a conclusion like that." Haruka apologized. "But wait, why are you just wandering around then? Shouldn't you be with your employer?"

"Yeah, but he kicked me out of the room to go get his brother some herbal tea. I'm just looking for the kitchen." Otoya said, gesturing for them to walk again. They walked side by side, steps synchronized.

"Well it's definitely not the way you came from, that's for sure. It's connected to the dining room." Haruka informed causing Otoya to pinch the bridge of his nose, letting out a displeased sigh.

"I was just there before." Otoya frowned. Haruka stopped suddenly. Otoya kept walking a few paces before realizing she stopped and turn to her, confused. "What is it?" He asked.

"This is my room." Haruka said, turning to the door right beside her. "So this is my stop."

"You can't come with me?" Otoya asked, frowning. Haruka shook her head. "How come?"

"I'm wasn't supposed to leave my room until Ren's business partners had left." Haruka said, looking down. Otoya watched her for a minute before smiling. He walked toward her and took her hand. Haruka jumped and looked at his hand, which was wrapped around her wrist, causing Haruka to blush. She couldn't help but think about how warm his hand was and how diligently he took her hand, as if afraid to break her. His hand was large compared to her's and much rougher. She looked up at him, taking in his beautiful face, even more breath taking with the kind smile spreading across it.

"Well then," He said. "I guess we'll just say I dragged you with me." He said, lightly tugging on her hand. She didn't resist his pull, complying easily to his pull. Something about the red haired man's kindness and gentleness made Haruka want to follow him. They walked down the hallway together, hands still connected. Neither seemed to mind or notice that their fingers intertwined as they walked together, Otoya talking about himself.

From what he said, apparently Otoya was orphaned at around five. Later, when he was around fifteen, his employer found him, cold, lost, and sick on the side of the streets, curled up behind a dumpster in the middle of a rainstorm. His employer, who was about eighteen at the time, took him home. He nursed Otoya back to health and Otoya offered his services as repayment. His employer said that to pay him back, he would need to work about two to five months. It had been eight years since he started working for his employer, who was now twenty six now and Otoya was twenty three. They had grown so use to each other that they had forgotten that it was a temporary job. Haruka herself was twenty one now (Ren is twenty three), making Otoya and Haruka around the same age.

"Wow, you got lucky, running into someone like that." Haruka smiled.

"I know!" Otoya said as he pulled open the giant doors of the dining room. "Tokiya is awesome!"

"What are you doing, Otoya?" Haruka and Otoya turned their heads forward, looking into the room. In the room, sitting at the table, were three figures.

One was a man with short cut, blue hair. He had bright blue eyes, void of emotion, and a beauty mark under his right eye. He looked at them with a stoic expression. His face was beautifly sculpted with a pointed chin and smooth skin, his cheeks pointed slightly around the edge of his jaw. His bright blue eyes were highlighted by his long, beautiful eyelashes. His lips were beautiful, a little moist and not curved up nor down, his features schooled. He was sitting up straight and gave off a professional aura, along with a sexual appeal. He wore a gray suit with a blue tie tucked under his coat. He had long, black pants on and even when sitting, you could tell he was tall.

Next to him sat another man. He had blue hair as well, but it wasn't evenly cut like the other man's. His hair stuck up, while the first man's hair was combed down. His bangs flew down in his face, needing to be swept from his eyes every once in a while. He was just as beautiful as the other man with blue hair, his chin peaked just the same but his cheeks were more curved, less pointed around the edge of his jaw line. He had darker blue eyes and his eyelashes were a little shorter than the first man's. He was wearing similar clothes to the other man, his tie just a bit more of a purplish blue. He also seemed rather tall and he gave off the same aura. His features weren't as schooled, his mouth opened a little and his eyes had a glimmer of surprise from the sudden entrance, but quickly became more annoyed.

The third figure in the room was...Ren Jinguji. He was wearing the same gray suit he was in the morning, but instead of the white pants, he wore jet black ones instead. His hair was as messy yet perfect as always. She hated that. His hair was a curly blond and looked like the kind of hair that would be perfect no matter what you did to it. He had a noticeably more defined jaw line then the others and definitely more annoyed, looking at Haruka in displeasure. Some documents were spread out in front of all three men, making it obvious that they were having their meeting in the dining room.

"Hey! YOU sent ME to get tea!" Otoya pointed at the table, where three tea cups with steam rising out of them were placed on top of fancy coasters.

"You took too long to come back." The man with messier blue hair said, sipping out of his wooden cup.

"Tokiya, you're the one that told me to go out that door when the kitchen was right there!" Otoya said, now pointing at the kitchen door.

"Of course, I was just keeping you busy for a while. I thought you'd figure it out sooner or later." The man named 'Tokiya' sighed, putting his cup down quietly. While the two of them were arguing, Haruka shivered up under the intense gaze of Ren, filled with displeasure. Haruka was a bit panicked. After being warned not to interrupt the meeting, she had accidentally barged into the room with someone she wasn't supposed to be with at the time.

"Who is she?" The room went silent as she man with the neatly cut hair spoke, his voice deep and strict, causing a shiver to run down Haruka's spine. His light blue eyes were like stone, bearing into Haruka's figure.

"Nanami Haruka." Ren answered, lifting up his tea cup and taking a sip, looking away from Haruka, as if he was ignoring her. She was actually relieved he looked away, she would have broken under the intense gaze of the two men.

"A maid?" Tokiya asked, beginning to ignore Otoya's pestering whines.

"No." Ren said, putting down his cup. "She's my wife."

_**Cliffhanger!...I think...Well, it keeps your attention...I think...Anyways, I'm back! And I've written a chapter. Look! See that there?! They are words! And you know what's awesome about those words? I wrote them! In chapter form! For a chapter! Wow, that was stupid, even I'm displeased with myself :(.**_

_**How will Otoya react!? What are the other two men going to think? Why didn't I say that the other man's name is Masato even though it is SO FREAKING OBVIOUS! Why am I asking all of theses questions even though I'm the one writing this?**_

_**I will only answer two of those questions! The answer to question 3 is-I forgot, so what?! The answer to question number 4 is-I feel like it! Take that!**_

_**Okay, enough fooling around. Please review, fav, follow and keep reading!**_


	5. The Choice

"Parton?" The other bluenet with the hime cut hair asked, raising his eyebrow in question. His eyes drew to Haruka for a quick moment before moving back to Ren for his answer. Ren held himself up, not fazed by the strength the man emulated.

"You heard me, she's my wide." Ren answered back, picking up some papers and looking them over. There were a couple second of silence before Ren pointed at a line on one of the papers he was looking at, as not to lose his place. "I think we need to discuss this part, here, about the-"

"But wouldn't you mean Jinguji Haruka? Not Nanami Haruka?" The blue haired man pried, his light blue eyes narrowing at the wealthy Jinguji, cutting him off without care. Ren let out a sign, clearly annoyed and trying to work. He muttered something under his breath, placing his papers down, fingers still curling around them, and looked the man right in his light blue collared eyes before answering.

"No, Masato, you are mistaken. I DID mean Nanami Haruka. Now, lets get back to work. Leave, Haruka." Ren said, the last part coming out through gritted teeth. Haruka nodded, taking a step back. She was desperate to leave, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire of the two young men. She just wanted to go back to her room and forget everything that just happened. Except for Otoya, she wanted to always remember him and his smile that could light up the room.

She moved back, looking over at Otoya for one last glimpse of him before possibly never seeing him again. He was frowning, looking sadly at Haruka. He was giving her a pleading look, not wanting her to leave just yet. It was as if he knew they may never see each other again, and it broke her heart that they both understood that. She gave him a light smile, letting her head droop a little.

She felt like crying, the pain being just too much for her. She could feel her heart twist in her chest, the feeling of loneliness that had become oh so familiar to her and bearable, striking her again, harder than ever. She realized just how desperate for another she had become throughout these long, hard years alone. And just when her saving grace had come, the same person was responsible for taking it away: Jinguji Ren. He had taken her life before and here he was, doing it again. And the worst part about it was, there was nothing she could do about it, she was too weak.

Haruka once again realized just how small and weak she was. She was reminded of all the pain she felt all those years. How hard it hurt to see him for the first time. Feeling the pain stab her through heart when she saw him flirt with other women, not even bothering to give her a chance. Feeling cased out, left for dead. A coldness creeping up through her skin, chilling her bones. She remembered watching as her 'husband' walked away from her on the first night of their marriage, her arm slung around the waist of his newest toy. Watching him turn the corner, kiss her, and disappear for a very long time. She remembered opening the door to her room for the first time, feeling the coldness and fear blow out through the door and engulf her. It was dark, big, and empty. She remembered shivering the entire night, the loneliness of the night chilling the air of the room.

She recalled the feeling of first getting dizzy, the first time she had to be sent to the hospital. The entire room was spinning and she felt numb. The only thing that she could feel was the terror of not being about to help herself, feeling the power seep out of her, like a soul leaving it's body. She really thought she would die, that she would end at that moment. But she was caught by a maid and brought to the hospital, where she was stuck for an entire week. She received plenty of gifts from her old maids, from back at her old home. But what really made it sad, was that her husband didn't even bother to see her.

She remembered all of the fear and doubt and coldness that she had experienced throughout her stay at the Jinguji household. Rejection from anyone and everyone. And all of these feelings and memories came back to her in a second, almost no time going by during all of that. She frowned, turning away from the table, from the four boys. Just as she moved to leave, 'Masato' spoke out again.

"Why doesn't she stay here." Masato spoke, his voice giving off more of a demand then a question. Haruka stopped and turned towards them again. She shook a little in nerveusement, hoping that Masato would drop the entire conversation and go back to ignoring her. She would rather face that cold, darkness then become the laughing stock of the room.

"She doesn't want to be here, isn't that right." Ren glared at Haruka, hinting for her to leave.

"I-I should be on my way." Haruka said, beginning to turn before Masato spoke once more.

"Sit." He ordered. Haruka felt a chill run down her spine from his command. She, frightened by his harsh commands, took a seat quickly. She sat on the end seat. Masato sat in the seat diagonal to her on her right side while Ren sat diagonal to her on her left side. Ren looked at her in annoyance before turning to glare at Masato. Haruka looked down at her lap where she twined her fingers together, catching the edge of the table cloth in her thumbs and fiddling with it.

Ren cleared his throat and continued on what he was saying a while ago, handing the papers to Masato to inspect. Haruka sat quietly while they talked it over, feeling the weight lift off her shoulders now that the attention was drawn from her. She felt a little warmth, knowing that she would not be forced into leaving the comfort of her new friend, Otoya. Her feeling had become jumbled up, making it hard for Haruka to reason with herself. She was afraid of Ren noticing her, yet she wanted desperately for him to see her. She wanted to leave and hide, far away from prying eyes, yet she yearned to stay and feel the warmth and comfort that the people around her -the company of others- engulfed her in.

Otoya walked past her, slipping a piece of paper in front of her, snapping her out of her deep thoughts. He had been trying to be sneaky, but failing horribly when all eyes quickly flickered to him. Haruka looked the paper over, deciphering what it said. On it was written: 'Sorry about that, I didn't mean to get yov in truble. But i'm glad you could stay!'. Haruka smiled at the messy handwriting he had, amused when he spelled trouble wrong (**A/N:** **Thats how I always spell it**), forgetting the 'o' and the word you looked like yov. Haruka turned her head and smiled at him in a forgiving way.

When she turned forward her eyes immediately met with a cold, dark blue gaze. She nearly jumped from her seat when she found Tokiya Hijirikawa's dark blue gaze locked on her. He was sitting up straight, peering over his younger brother to her. She blushed, knowing his extreme interest in her. She held eye contact for a while, not sure what else to do. Then, she tore away from his eyes, suddenly finding interest in the vast nothingness of the white wall to her left. She could tell his eyes hadn't moved from her yet, studying her. She felt like a newly discovered animal being examined thoroughly.

"Why don't you bring your wife with you." Haruka looked up at Masato who had interrupted her thought with hi sudden question, baffling her. She wasn't the only one surprised about the sudden suggestion. Tokiya stared at his younger brother with wide eyes, surprise written all over his face. Otoya, who had been fetching more tea for the younger Hijirikawa nearly dropped his tray, catching the cups and moving over to Masato.

"Really?!" Otoya asked, suddenly very excited. Ren had looked up from his papers, his jaw dropped in shock. He quickly cleared his throat, frowning.

"And why would I do that?" He asked.

"Because it's been three years since you've married her and this is the first time I've seen her face. Besides, as your wife, she should pay her respects to my family." Masato pointed out, stairing the young Jinguji in the eyes. They held eye contact, a silent fight buzzing between them.

"You never asked for that before." Ren pointed out through clenched teeth. Haruka shriveled down. "Why would it matter now?"

"Why are you so opposed? Beside, your wife looks like she could use some sun and fresh air." Masato's steady eyes quickly rolled over her, studying her pale complexion, before looking back at Ren. Haruka perked a little, liking the sound of getting out. She had spend over two months in the giant mansion without any air. It would be good for her to get out, breath in the clean air. She could almost feel the wind on her face, blowing through her hair. The sun's heat touching her skin, tingling her senses, warming her heart.

She could just imagine exploring again, looking through the grass for it's secrets. She couldn't help but picture Otoya running beside her. She could see him as a curious man, enjoying exploring the world for it's little hidden wonders, laughing and smiling all the way. She knew that the 3 long years of suffering, the stress, could all be washed away in an instant if she could go back to her routs for just a moment, let that little child out of her again. Let her explore and goof around just once more, like back at her old house, back then...her old home...

Maybe she could take that time to escape! She could sneak out at some point, run home. But she could get lost... She could always ask a police officer for directions, like her old maids told her to do if she ever got lost as a child! She was sure that if she went home, her old maids would hid her for sure! They loved her and would do anything to keep her happy. Now she just needed the okay from Ren.

She mentally groaned. There was no way he would let her out. He barely allows her to wander the ground, why would he let her go to another property? Unless he hoped he could dump her there...

Ren opened his mouth to answer. Haruka secretly crossed her fingers, hoping and praying for a surprise answer.

"Masato, my answer it-" **Cut off!**

**What do you guys want Ren to say? It may or may not be up to you to decide, maybe. (Depends which way the votes go or it there are any. If the votes go in one direction then I will most likely choose it. If they are around even, then I'll go my way. )**

**Also, yes, Tokiya is a Hijirikawa in this story.**


	6. Masato's Voice

He was interested. He didn't know why, but he was interested in her. Nanami Haruka, a very interesting girl. She had somehow managed to stay hidden from all press her entire life, even when still in the Nanami's household. Even after the wedding, no one had a face to go with the name. She was a mystery and if it wasn't for her mother's defendant pregnancy, everyone would have thought she was made up. Many people had tried to bribe her maids to get a picture of her or at least a description of what she looked like, but they all seemed ready to defend her with their lives.

The moment he had heard that his old childhood friend and colleague, Jinguji Ren, was to marry her, he hired people to gather info on her, but only received a few things about her; her birthday, her parents, and her family background.

He wanted to keep quiet and try to see her for himself, to study her, or at least, have his brother do that. Hijirikawa Tokiya, Masato's illegitimate older brother was known for his ability to read people, thats the only reason why he was to come to the meeting that Masato had arranged with Ren.

Based on how well she had hidden from view, he thought her to be very clever, knowing just what way to twist and turn. She must have been charming, in order to have every maid in the Nanami household to determine to protect her. In order to live with Jinguji Ren, she had to be quite strong and straightforward. Any heir to a large company would be strong, confident in everything they did. So, from what he had gathered, he was able to put together a picture to match his mystery girl. Some clever, hardheaded girl, who was strong and confident, mastered in the charming department with an intimidating aura. Tall and finely curved, draped in jewelry and covered in makeup. A perfect match for Jinguji Ren.

But, when he saw her, he was blown away by how utterly wrong he was.

She practically shook when he looked at her. She looked small and weak. She had no makeup and wore a simple dress. He told her to sit down, barely any edge in his voice, but she acted like he was going to hurt her if she didn't. She didn't bother to talk and seemed to WANT to be quiet. She looked like she would rather shy away from people then attempt to charm them.

But he was right about something; she did have some looks to her. She had a compelling face which was framed perfectly by her hair, which, he admits, was a strange shade of pink, something he had never seen before. Her face was smooth, still retaining some of it's baby fat. Her chin wasn't peaked, more rounded, and her jaw had a gentle curve to it, a bit like his brother's. Her body did have curves, though small and still developing, they were there. Surprisingly, she looked more like a teenager then a twenty one year old, like he was told she was. She was completely ordinary and boring except for one thing: Her eyes.

They were an amazing shade of goldish yellow, tints of green in them. He would have mistaken them for wolf's eyes if it wasn't for the shyness and fear they held. They almost looked worn and empty, but with new light flooding in.

He was was intrigued.

She definitely wasn't his kind of woman, but he found himself strongly interested in the mystery woman. He liked his women strong and confident. He liked the feeling of making them feeling helpless in front of him. And a woman would do anything to get her pride back, even if that means attempting to catch his attention. Don't get him wrong, he's not the kind of man to use them and lose them, so he kept away from relationships. But he was a healthy young man. He had just as much wild instincts as the next.

"She kind of looked uncomfortable in her dress." Masato's brother, Tokiya snapped him out of his thought, bringing him back to the car ride. Masato stared at him brother. He was nearly an exact copy of himself, same blue hair and emotionless facade.

"Too simple?" Masato guessed, looking out of window. She had to have at least one kind of strong feminincity(**A/N: Not sure if thats a word, but we'll stick with it!**) to be with Ren.

"No, it seemed like it was too fancy to her." Masato looked back at his brother with more interest than before. "From what I saw, she didn't want to be in the room with us, but still wanted to be with someone. I'm guessing that either constant clinging behavior or loneliness. But, based on how uncomfortable around people she was, I'd go for loneliness."

"So, what else? You had to have gotten something else." Masato pressed, wanting as much information as he could possibly get his hands on.

"I'm a little fuzzy. Strange as it sound, she's an open book with no words. I couldn't really hone into a personality, just emotion." Tokiya admitted, looking down in frustration. His fists balled and his eyebrows furrowed. "I don't understand why I couldn't figure her out. She was so open. It was kind of like she was a book, but in another language." Tokiya said, looking up at his brother, staring him straight in the eyes. Masato nodded, looking out the window.

"I think she's nice!" Masato and Tokiya both turned behind them, glaring at the redhead who had swung his body half over the seats, almost laying limply. He was smiling widely, oblivious to the anger emanating from the two bluenetts'.

"Otoya, sit down." Tokiya hissed, poking him in the forehead harshly, pushing his head back.

"Tokiya~ That hurts!" He complained. "I should be able to talk! I know her very well!"

"How well." Masato asked, suddenly intrigued. Masato wanted to know everything he could about her.

"Well, she's really nice, she likes gardening, she grew up sickly, she-"

"Wait, repeat that." Masato interrupted.

"Hu, what? That she was sickly? Yeah, she said that she was really weak as a child and she got sick a lot. She said that she gets sick in the city, so she's kept in clean air." Masato turned away from Otoya, looking out the window, deep in thought. She was...sickly? Why would some sickly girl be married to the worlds greatest playboy? At least it explained why she was kept out of the public eye so often, she would have been overwhelmed.

"Masa? Dishavu?" Otoya asked.

"Nothing." Masato said, opening up his phone.

"Eh?! Masa! Tell me!" Otoya whined loudly, causing a vain to pop out of both bluenetts' heads.

"Otoya sit down and be quiet." Tokiya sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Fine, fine." Otoya said, slouching back into his seat.

"A swear..." Tokiya mumbled, shaking his head. The car was silent for a little, nothing but the sounds of the motor running and cars going by.

"But, you know, I'm rather surprised of the answer." Otoya mumbled from behind them.

"Normally, I would threaten to kick you out of the car," Otoya chuckled a little, smiling at Tokiya through the crack in the seats, amused. "But you did say something sensible, for once. It was rather surprising."

"I agree." Masato said, not bothering to look at them. "We should prepare ourselves to meet with this, 'Haruka Jinguji' again. Otoya, get information on her, as much as you can."

"Why am I involved?" Otoya mumbled.

"Because she likes you, god knows why, and she'll probably open up to you."

"Why would you think that?"

"I just do. Beside, you want to know more about her, don't you?" Masato turned his head and eyes Otoya, causing him to blush.

"W-well, she is really nice and all! B-but thats all!" Otoya stuttered, looking away from them.

"Honesty, Otoya, you fall too quickly." Tokiya sighed.

"Tokiya!" Otoya complained, jumping up again only to fall back from the force of a quick stop. "Ow!"

"Thats what you get, Otoya. Honestly, I told you so many times not to stand up." Tokiya sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. After not hearing a remark from the red head, Tokiya turned around, concern coloring his eyes very lightly. Masato knew just how much he cared for Otoya; Otoya was like a goofy little brother to him. He had made excuses for years to keep him around some being 'I gave him my car keys and he had yet to return them' 'I can't fire him after he got a concussion' 'I need him to fire someone, she'll cry if I do it' and 'If I leave him alone for a second, he'll kill himself'. It was no secret that Tokiya enjoyed Otoya's company, they were very close, despite looking more like a boss and employee. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine... my head hurts." Otoya mumbles.

"Sir, we're back at the house." The driver said.

"I'll leave you two to your normal duties." Masato opened the door, closing it behind him. He looked at the side of his mansion, seeing a row of flowers in front of it. They drew his thoughts away, reminding him of a certain someone who loves flowers: Haruka Nanami.

_**Haha, I'm making you wait another chapter before you find out if Haruka is coming over or not. But I PROMISE you will have your answer in the next chapter!**_


	7. The Answer

"Masato, I'm afraid I can not-" Haruka stiffened, knowing exactly what he was going to say. She panicked. If there was any chance to get out of here, this was it. _Three years,_ she thought, her heart beating heavily, _three years I've been stuck here. I need to get out!_ Haruka's heart was heavy in her chest and she felt a little dizzy from fear. She could feel her body shaking uncontrollably, like having low blood sugar. She felt like bursting into tears from her sorrow, biting her lip to keep her sobs to herself. The sounds around her seemed to become muffled and the room became darker as a cloud rolled in front of the sun, keeping the natural light from getting in.

Haruka looked around, hoping for an answer to solve her problem. She could see the vexation beginning to surface on Masato's face, his bright blue eyes almost seeming to darken, becoming stormy. His lips curled down, pulling up slightly close to the edge in a deep growl, and his shoulders stiffening in displeasure. She could see him breath a bit heavier, letting his rage out through hard and gravely breaths.

Haruka glanced at Otoya. His bright red eyes were dulled in disappointment, his matching red eyebrows curving down before gently curving up. His eyelids drooped a little, his head dripping and his shoulders slouched. Tokiya simply studied her like always, watching her reactions.

She almost shook in fear. Her one chance to feel free was about to be taken away from her. Who knows the next time she'll have proper human contact, to have an actual friend! _Otoya..._ She had to do something! Anything to prevent this cruel fate again! She couldn't do it! She couldn't endure this treatment forever!

Suddenly, out of the spur of the moment, Haruka's body shifted forward, sitting up straight. She let her hands hit the table, creating a soft hitting noise, her delegate and soft hands unable to make too loud a noise, which effectively cut Ren off. Her bow mouth opened, letting out a hasty line. "I'll come and pay my respect-what time should I come?!" She suddenly spurted out, regretting it immediately. Her hand flew to her mouth and her cheeks lit up as all eyes shot to her, gunning at her. She fiddled with her fingers, keeping her eyes low. Why had she done that!? Was she that desperate to get out of here?!

Masato's eyes widened ever so slightly, quickly returning to normal. Although, there were slight traces of contentment in his eyes. Her body relaxed again, fully enjoying the fact things were going **his** way. Otoya was surprised, blinking a few times to soak it in. Then his mouth curved to a big smile, his spirit lifted to the point you could practically see it rising out of him. Tokiya opened his mouth slightly, his wide, blue eyes blinking in surprise. His head was raised higher, his interest suddenly picked once more.

But Ren was a different story. His surprise lasted a mere second before twisting to rage. His shoulders pulled back, raised slightly. He glared daggers at Haruka. His lip curled up in a silent growl, his eyebrows slanted firmly down. He let out a huff from his nose, steam practically blowing out. He looked like a bull looking for a fight.

Haruka wanted to shrink under his glare, but fell still as a stone. She tried to raise her head in confidence, but her neck felt chained, as if trying to pull her down, to make her take it back. Her entire body was working against her, as if years of solitude had taken away her body's will to fight, hypnotized it to stay down.

Ren opened up his mouth to speak but was cut off by Masato. "It's been decided. One week. Bring her over at 4 o'clock. We'll serve dinner at 6. She should be taught about our company before she comes, to understand how to behave. Have her dress the way all guests are expected to clothe themselves. Is that clear?" Masato turned to Haruka, keeping Ren's input out of the conflict, infuriating him more.

Haruka stumbled on her words, panicked. "Y-yes, H-Hijirikawa-san." She bowed her head the best she could, still shaking. What had she just done? Not only had she come into the conference room, but she had also blatantly made plans that go against everything she had learned she was supposed to do- right in front of the man who made these rules clear to her. She couldn't decide if it was a good thing she was going to get a little freedom or a bad thing that she was probably going to get yelled at. It was a no win situation! Oh how she wished her grandmother was here, she would know what to do! She would tell Ren off and make sure she lived to the fullest!

"Yay! Nanami's coming over! I've never had friends over!" Otoya bounced, rushing around in excitement. Haruka smiled at his childlike energy. She loved his cheerfulness.

"Otoya, this is strictly business related, don't get ahead of yourself. Stop being a bother." Tokiya said, rubbing his temples.

"Eh!? Tokiyaaaa~" Otoya complained.

"If he annoys you so much, fire him." Masato said.

"No, he needs to finish chores." Tokiya said as an excuse.

"Ahem!" All heads turned to Ren. Haruka fell down her seat again, feeling his menacing glare for a second. "I am the husband and I'm going to half to decline-"

"It's rude to cancel plans." Otoya whined.

"I don't want her outside running a muck." Ren hisses, silencing Otoya with a glare.

"Why?" Masato questioned, staring Ren right in the eyes, glaring at him with hard and disciplined eyes. "Why should it matter if she goes or not? You should have faith in your wife." Masato said, staring deeper and deeper into Ren. He didn't flinch, as if use to this behavior.

"Masato," Ren said, laying his elbow on the table and laying his chin against his knuckle. "We've been friends since childhood, correct?" Masato replied with a curt nod, giving Ren a questioning look. Haruka gave him the same. What could he be getting at? Why would that matter? "So why is it that you, first the first time in three years since my marriage, are so interested in my wife." Masato sat up straighter, tensing. Then, to Ren's surprise, Masato's lip curled to a smirk and he placed his elbows on the table, holding up his jaw on his intertwined hands.

"Because it's the first time I've seen her and you immediately tried to send her away. Even I would be curious as of why. If you don't want her coming over, then explain." Masato said, gesturing to Ren to explain.

"I don't have to explain to you." Ren snarled. Haruka scootched back in her seat. It looked as if a fight would break out between the two boys.

"Then she'll be coming over in a week." Masato said, placing his hands on the table. Without waiting for an answer, he pushed himself up, and pushed back his chair, stepping out from in front of his seat. He stood and bowed, his brother following his actions. Otoya scrambled to gather the papers quickly, following the silent order that his employer asked of him. "With this, I take my leave. I still have business with our other friend, as careless as he is."

"He still owes us that funding he promised." Tokiya said.

"No, it was sent." Otoya said, holding up an envelope.

"Why didn't you give us that before?" Tokiya glared, causing the redhead to laugh in fear.

"Well... I forgot!" Otoya chuckled nervously. "But it's okay, it only came this morning!" Tokiya tore the letter out of Otoya's hand and pocketed it, causing Otoya to pout and whine that he could carry it. The three handsome boys left the room, Otoya giving their goodbyes, including a farewell hug to Haruka, causing her to blush. He quickly whispered to her as he hugged her.

"I'm really glad you can come over." He said before quickly turning away from her and darting away, his cheeks dusted with red. He closed the door behind them, leaving Haruka and Ren alone. Haruka gulped in fear, shaking slightly. Being left alone with Ren...What would he do?

Suddenly, the sound of a sliding chair aroused her from her thought. She looked up to see Ren looming over her. Before she could apologize, Ren's arms shot out. One landed on the edge of her chair. The other landed on the edge of the table, efficiently trapping her in her seat. Haruka shrunk down, fear looming in her eyes. She practically shook under his deep, gray glare. What was he going to do to her? Was he going to hurt her?! Suddenly, he leaned down close to her face, she scootched back in her seat, looking down to avoid his piercing glare. She could feel his warm breath on her face, hissing out onto her bitten lips.

"Look at me." He suddenly growled a demand. Haruka flinched and refused to look up at him, squeezing her eyes shut instead. This was the most they had ever interacted and he was even more intimidating them ever! "I told you to look at me." His arm wiped towards her and his fingers curled around her chin, pulling her face up. Hey eyes shot open wide, revealing their golden, honey color. He moved very close to her face, causing Haruka to struggle a little. She had no idea what he was going to do. Then, he spoke:

"Never do that again." He pulled away from her very quickly, leaving her sitting there in fear, not quite understanding what had just happened between them. "I'll hire a new maid to teach you about the Hijirikawa family." He pulled open the door and stepped out into the hallway. But, before closing the door, he turned to her, glaring. "You better study their family, I don't want to lose connection with them simply because you mess up." He pulled the doors closed roughly, letting the sound rumble through the air.

Haruka sat still, stunned. She was still shaking, gripping the table for support. She looked down, eyes wide in fear. What had she done?! She had actually compromised the connection between the Jinguji and Hijirikawa families, thats what she had done! Now, she had to make sure everything went right!

_**Did anyone noticed how I kept making it sound like Ren was going to harm Haruka? Well, if you did, props to you! I wanna make it evident how truly afraid she is of this big, strong stranger she's stuck with in the most intimidating way. Many times I made it sound like he was going to slap her or something. If you didn't notice, you may want to reread it. **_

_**Yay, I finally gave you an answer! Ren says no, Haruka says yes! To all of my American readers: Happy Thanksgiving! Please fave, follow, and review!**_


	8. A New Friend

**Okay, this is the last warning for little kids-Don't read this! It has inappropriate scenes for younger an audience! Hence the rating M!**

Haruka sat on her bed, staring out of her window. Her hands were folded on her lap and her legs were crossed. She was dressed in a simple, dark blue dress with long sleeves and a red belt strapped around her hips. Her hair was half tied back in a half up half down style, a small, yellow bow replacing a hair tie. She wore no make up, no nail polish, no perfume. She sat patiently, just looking out the window.

The day was dark and a few slow, gray clouds drifting through the endless dark blue sky. The leafless trees' lifeless branches rustled in the cold wind and the brown leaves crumpled up on the ground.

Haruka sighed, her shoulders sagging but her back always held upright. She looked to the door briefly, expecting someone to come through soon. She frowned when all was still and turned back to the window. She jumped, startled when the doorknob turned, the door swinging open.

"Hello? Are you Haruka?" A lady stood in the doorway, staring in at Haruka. Haruka stared at her with wide eyes, surprised by her sudden intrusion. Normally the maids would knock and ask for permission, never calling her by her first name. The lady was tall, with long and curly, reddish orange hair. Her hair was pulled back, still falling on her shoulders, one, small braid tucked into her ponytail. Her center bangs curled up her forehead while her side bangs framed her face, keeping out of her eyes. She had purple eyes and a bow shaped mouth. Her her face curved beautifully, her cheeks rounded without any baby fat. She had some blush sprinkled on her face and red lipstick curled on her lips.

She held herself with confidence, giving Haruka a big smile. She was dressed in maid clothes, but instead of the long dresses the servants here wear, she was dressed in a shorter dress and her apron was pink. Her breasts were large in her outfit, almost falling out, while the rest of her curvy figure stayed nicely in place in her form fitting attire.

"So, you're Haruka, right? It's nice to meet you!" She said, walking over to Haruka.

"You're Tomochika Shibuya-san, correct?" Haruka asked, nervously getting up. She brushed off her blue dress, suddenly feeling underdeveloped compared to the new maid who could show herself off nicely with her model like body. Haruka briefly wondered why such a girl would choose to work as a maid with the looks she had. "You're here to teach me about the Hijirikawa family. Thank you for your time." Haruka bowed, keeping her body at a perfect 90 degree angle.

"Shibuya-san? HA! Just call me Tomo-chan, Haruka!" She laughed, patting Haruka on the shoulders, causing Haruka to blink in confusion. What kind of maid was Tomochika? "So, what do you need to know about the Hijirikawa family? House? Behavior? Food? Influence?"

"Um, er...Everything." Haruka said, sitting down.

"Well then, lets start with-oh! Look at that!" Tomochika quickly dashed to the closet, pulling out a dress. It was a long, black dress with a change of texture around the waist, lined with small, black flowers. From her hips down was smooth and silky black that waved around. The bottom rim was lined with creamy pink flowers. The top half was flat and form fitting, sleeveless with simply a strap around the neck to keep it on. Haruka blushed, embarrassed that she had been caught with such a womanly dress. Tomochika scavenged it with prying eyes, oohing and aahing. "You should wear it!" Tomochika suggested, looking up at Haruka with excited eyes.

"N-no, i-it's much too formal!" Haruka blushed, shaking her head. "U-um, Shib- I mean, Tomo-chan... shouldn't we be learning about-"

"We can do that later! Try on some of these dresses!" Tomochika demanded, tossing a few of her unworn dressed into Haruka's arms. She pulled Haruka up, spun her around, and pushed her into the bathroom. "And don't come out with out a new dress on!" Haruka sighed, looking down at the dresses.

"Oh well." Haruka said, pulling off her blue dress.

"A-ano, Tomo-chan, isn't this one a little...um..." Haruka stood in the bathroom, dumbfounded by the dress Tomochika had forced on her after making her try on 10 other dresses.

"Sexy?" Tomochika asked from behind the door nonchalantly. Haruka blushed, not use to such raw language. "So what? You got the body for it!" Haruka's face became even redder from Tomochika's comment. Maybe Tomochika has the body, but not her! "Just change! Or I'll come in there and change you myself." She said with a creepy voice, rattling the door knob to freak her out.

"NOOOO! I'll change, I'll change!" Haruka promised, tearing off the purple dress she was made to wear a minute ago. She hastily pulled on the short, pink dress. It only had one, thin shoulder strap to it, the breasts low cut. It only came 4 inches down from her hips, the skirt area covered with frillies. The body of the dress was very tight and form fitting against her stomach. Haruka blushed, trying to pull the edges of the frills down.

"Are you done yet!?" Tomochika complained.

"I-I'm not coming out! It's embarrassing~!" She whined, shaking her head to no one in particular.

"Oh yes you are! I did not force that dress on you just to have you hideout in the bathroom!" Tomochika pulled open the door and stared at Haruka with wide eyes. Haruka blushed, looking down. Was she disappointing? Was she going to laugh? Haruka closed her eyes, waiting for the laughter when suddenly she felt Tomochika spin her around. Haruka opened her eyes in shock, surprised. Then, Tomochika reached out and pushed up Haruka's breasts with her hands, squeezing them a little. "Wow, they're bigger than I thought!"

"Tomo-chan!" Haruka cried, pulling away from Tomochika's grasp. Her face was bright red. Her body shook a little in utter surprise, embarrassed beyond belief. "W-w-why would you do that?!"

"What? Pull up your breasts? I wanted to see how big they were!" Tomochika said in a matter a factly way, smiling like it was normal. "Man your husband must oogle at you with a body like that!"

"Tomo-chan!" Haruka blushed, not use to being complemented in such a way.

"What? I'm gonna see it even better tonight when we take a bath together!"

"W-when did we-"

"I decided right now!" Tomochika said, holding her head up proudly. "Don't worry, I'll wash your back if you wash mine!" Tomochika hugged Haruka around the neck, nuzzling her while telling her how cute she was.

Haruka sighed, closing her eyes. Tomochika was a strange on, no doubt on that! But she sincerely wanted to be friends with Haruka which made her smile a little.

"GGAAHH~! You're so cute when you smile!" Tomochika squealed, spinning Haruka around to look at her smiling face. Haruka blushed, dipping her head, her smile growing in size. "AWW~! I wish I could keep you, bring you home with me and show you off! So cute~" Tomochika said, hugging her kindly, pulling Haruka securely into her. Haruka smiled, glad to have Tomochika as a friend. "But we're still taking a bath together, you're not getting out of that."

"Nooo~!"

_**Yay, Tomokicha's here! For everyone who guessed, good job! Please fave, follow, and review**_


	9. It's Time

Haruka took a deep breath in and let it out, holding her eyes closed tightly, her head bent down to her lap. Haruka continued to breath, her breath speeding up from time to time. Haruka squeezed her fingers in her hands, her arms shaking a little. This was it. Haruka looked up when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She made eye contact with Tomochika who gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry," Tomochika squeezed Haruka's shoulder lightly. "You'll be fine. You've been studying for this." Studying? All Tomochika has told her is to act in a traditional Japanese way, the rest she told her in the bathtub, and Haruka couldn't pay attention in there at all. Still, Haruka took Tomochika's words to heart, her shoulders sagging a little, untensing her body. She nodded her head lightly, whispering a thanks to Tomochika. She smiled back, hugging Haruka.

"You look adorable-thanks to me!" Tomochika boasted, making sure not to ruin Haruka's hair. Her hair had been drawn up into a bun in a pink tangle, a strip of her hair falling out on both sides to ever so slightly frame her face. Tomochika tried for hours to apply makeup to Haruka's face, but no matter how much she tried Tomochika could never find the right amount of make up, deciding to just wipe the entire thing off and focus on her hair. Tomochika dressed Haruka up in a pink kimono, colored silky with cherry blossoms. A red flower was tied up in Haruka's bun, bringing out the light color of her pink hair.

"You look good as well." Haruka smiled. Tomochika was dressed in a purple kimono, various blue and white flowers all clumped around her legs and on her left arm.

"We'll be arriving at the Hijirikawa Mansion soon." The limo driver informed from the front seat, twisting his head around so Haruka could hear him.

"Oh, thank you." Haruka said quietly. Haruka still fidgeted in her seat uncomfortably, awaiting their arrival.

"Stop worrying." Tomochika frowned, pinching Haruka on the cheeks.

"Sorry." Haruka moaned, rubbing her cheeks.

"Hey, wheres your husband?" Tomochika asked. "We're the only ones here."

"Oh, Jinguji-san is sitting in another section of the limo."

"What?! He isn't even sitting with you! Thats not right. Heck, he should be the one sitting next to you, not me." Tomochika complained, blowing some of her hair up with a hissed breath. Haruka sighed, chuckling nervously. Tomochika had learned of the distance in Haruka and Ren's relationship and had seen it first hand. Tomochika had been outraged at first, needing Haruka to literally hold her by the legs to keep her from storming into Ren's office. But once Haruka explained the reasons for the marriage, she had calmed down.

Haruka had gotten very lucky earlier. Tomochika was only hired to teach her about the Hijirikawa family and was to be relieved of duty afterwords. But, thanks to another sudden outburst from Haruka, Tomochika became her personal assistant. Of course, according to Tomochika, a personal assistant has other duties to attend to outside of the job. Long story short, she now washes Haruka's back during baths, picks out clothes for Haruka, making Haruka talk about her problems, and causing as much ruckus as humanly possible to keep Haruka active and on her feat. So all in all, Tomochika proved to be too much to handle.

The car turned down the driveway, heading to the Hijirikawa mansion. Haruka sat up straighter, biting her lip lightly in panic. Did she really know enough to impress the Hijirikawa family? Did she properly dress herself-well, did Tomochika dress her properly.

The car came to a stop, the driver getting out and opening the door for her. Haruka stepped out, looking around. The mansion was beautiful, surrounded by nature and trees, lined with unseasonably budding flowers. The mansion was styled with traditional Japanese, just as Tomochika had told her, but much bigger than she expected. It wasn't tall, rather it was long and wide, spreading out around the gardens.

Haruka gulped, intimidated by the size. Tomochika tapped her on the shoulder, smiling at her. Haruka smiled back, taking a deep breath.

"Come on, hurry up." Ren ordered, walking past them. Haruka nodded to no one, following Ren as he quietly strode down the stone plated path to the house. Haruka's shoes clocked on the stones, even the lightest step seemingly echoing through the air. They stopped right in front of the house's entrance. Waiting at the entrance was a familiar bluenett. His normally messy hair was drawn back a bit in a business way. He held a stoic disposition, straightening up when the two guests came in sight. He was wearing a different style than them, wearing a tunic like kimono with a jacket over it. _So that's a boy's Kimono._ The tunic was white with so many gray dots on it it seemed gray while the jacket was a navy blue with sea foam green designs under the arm. He stood perfectly still, his posture perfect as always.

Next to him was a familiar redhead whose hair, which despite trying to be tamed, just wouldn't stay down. He was wearing the same style kimono. He had a grayish tunic with black stripes running down his legs, the color fading as you go up, a red shirt tucked under the waistline. He had a red jacket over it, plain without designs. He brightened up when he spotted Haruka, his smile widening. He lifted his arm, going to wave before being thumped on the back of his head by his employer.

"We're glad you could come, Ren, Haruka." Tokiya said, bowing to them.

"Thank you for having us." Ren thanked, bowing as well. Haruka peered up at Ren, studying his clothes. He had a gray tunic on, a mostly black shirt tucked in around the waist, parts of it hanging out. He had a black jacket on which he let loosely hang around his shoulders, showing a bit of toned muscle. The entire outfit was messily done, making him look almost ravishing. Haruka blushed, looking away, ashamed by her thoughts.

"Nanami, it's good to see you again." Otoya smiled, jumping down the steps and onto the ground before Tokiya could grab him. He stopped in front of Haruka smiling.

"Ittoki-kun, it's good to see you too." Haruka smiled, bowing to Otoya.

"O-oh, you don't have to do that!" Otoya blushed, waving his hands around in panic.

"Yo, this him?" Tomochika asked, nudging Haruka.

"Oh, yeah. Tomo-chan, this is Otoya Ittoki. Ittoki-kun, this it Tomochika Shibuya." Haruka introduced.

"So, this IS that guy you were talking about." Tomochika said, leaning in.

"S-she was talking about me?" Otoya asked, blushing and scratching the back of his head. He stepped back in confusion as Tomochika began to circle around him, observing him. When she circled back around she smiled, sticking out her hand.

"Nice to meet you!" Tomochika smiled. Otoya nodded his head, shaking her hand.

"You must be worn from your long trip. Please, come in." Tokiya said respectfully, opening up the door for them. Ren nodded his head, stepping inside, removing his shoes in the entrance.

"Thank you for your hospitality." Ren said quietly. Haruka and Tomochika stepped in as well, doing the same, leaving their shoes by the door. They were followed by Tokiya and Otoya, who closed the doors behind them. Haruka was surprised by the simplicity of the Hijirikawa family's house. It was like an old Japanese house, nothing too fancy.

"I'm sorry for Masato's absents, he'll be here soon." Tokiya informed.

"I'm surprised that the host who invited us is not here. Where is he?" Ren asked, turning to Tokiya, eyes hard and hostile. Tokiya didn't flinch, standing as still and strong as ever.

"I'm afraid he had to quickly deal with something. Some of the money that one of our colleagues repaid wasn't done in full." Tokiya said, leaving all hints of names out.

"Well, it's understandable. He's a bit of a scatter brain sometimes." Ren said, knowing exactly who Tokiya was talking about. _But who was it? _Haruka wondered.

"Yes, but he is brilliant in his own light." Tokiya said, leading them to a room with a small table laid out in the middle of it. Ren nodded in agreement, sitting down at the table. "Please, Nanami-san, take a seat." Tokiya bowed, gesturing for Haruka to seat herself.

"Oh, thank you very much." Haruka cried, bowing even lower than Tokiya. She moved to the table, sitting down. She sighed, looking down in disappointment. What was that?! Her nerves were way too high, she looked like an idiot. A dark cloud of disappointment hung around her, causing people in the room to sweat drop. Ren sighed, shaking his head.

Otoya bent down to Haruka, touching her shoulder. "Nanami? Daijōbudesuka?" He asked. Haruka popped out of her dark cloud. She yelped, nodding her head furiously. Otoya simply sweat dropped again, blinking a few times. "Are you sure?" Haruka laughed nervously, nodding once more. Otoya let go of her shoulder hesitantly. Tomochika sat down next to Haruka, patting her on the head.

Tokiya was still as he stared at them, watching their every move. He squinted his eyes, growling in frustration. The more he observed, the more confused he gets! She's confident, strong, and impulsive one minute and the complete opposite the next. It's like she's trying to confuse him. Everything she does counteracts what he previously knew, making everything he observes useless. Haruka giggled as Tomochika pulled and pushed her gently, Haruka smiling beautifully. Tokiya's still figure rose a bit more, concentrated on her face. Was she wearing lipstick or not? It looked like she was, but she wouldn't just keep wearing the same color every time she sees him, right?

Tokiya's eyes focused on her entire being, looking her up and down. She had a beautiful body under her kimono, he could tell. Her legs fit perfectly with her skinny figure and her arms looked almost like twigs- he was afraid he could snap them. Her skin was a creamy white, as if she hadn't been in the sun in forever. Her pale skin really brought out her eyes. _Her eyes._ Her eyes were like a crystal gold, jewels to drool over. And the way she stably let her eyes roam over everything... and that sweet glimmer in her eyes when she laughs. Her voice was angelic, soft and slick.

Tokiya stared at her, his mind beginning to bleach as time went on. He soon found himself entranced by her. He shook his head, bringing him back to his senses. He rubbed his neck and sighed. He must have eaten something bad the other night, he was practically ogling at her. He cracked his shoulders and joined his guests at the table, sitting down in a free spot, right in between Haruka and Ren.

"I'm sorry I'm late." The doors slid open and in walked a familiar bluenett whose eyes were closed, knowing exactly who was in the room. He was dressed in a blue, bubbly designed tunic with a matching jacket. His hair was perfectly combed as always, not a strand out of place. He opened his eyes, staring directly at Haruka, his light blue eyes looking her over.

Masato had to admit, she looked stunning in a kimono and, like always, it was nothing fancy. In fact, it looked cheap. Normally Masato would find it disrespectful to wear something cheap to the Hijirikawa's house, but it simply would allow him to gain a few more hints to who she is. And once he knew who she was, he could use his knowledge against the Jinguji family if necessary. Masato strode in, keeping his eyes on Haruka. He sat down in the only empty spot, looking around at everyone.

"So, lets begin."

_**Hey! I'm really glad I got this Chromebook for school, or else I wouldn't have this chapter up now, I literally just finished it around an hour ago! In fact... I would probably be on chapter 3 right now if it wasn't for this Chromebook. Yay, technology!**_

_**Please fave, follow, and review! See ya!**_


	10. Flower Gardens

Hijirikawa Masato had planned to take his time. He was going to be calm, cool, and collected, but curiosity got the better of him the moment he saw his target. _Haruka Nanami. _He sat down in between Haruka and Ren, opposite to his brother. Tokiya gave him a brief nod, giving his younger brother the floor. Masato didn't respond. He locked eyes with Haruka, making sure to keep his curiosity in check.

"So, Nanami-san, you are Jinguji's wife," Masato started, receiving a pointless nod from Haruka. "I'm surprised not to have heard of you before, background that is. I only had scarce knowledge that the Nanami corporation had an heir."

"Y-yes, that is understandable." Haruka said, looking down. "My relatives preferred for me to stay out of the headlines."

"I see." Masato nodded his head. Haruka squirmed a little, not quite sure what to say. The silence was getting more and more awkward every second.

"Hey, Nanami, I like your kimono." Otoya smiled, attempting to lighten up the air a bit.

"Oh, thank you! I like yours as well." Haruka said, smiling, silently glad for Otoya's attempt to brighten the conversation. Otoya blushed, thanking her back. "Everyone's kimono looks good, I've never seen anyone wear them before, let alone worn one myself." Haruka giggled, holding up the sleeves.

"It looks rather exceptional on you." Tokiya agreed, bowing his head slightly.

"Well, I hate to make you all move right after getting settled in, but it's too early to eat right now." Masato pointed out. "Perhaps a stroll around the gardens will take away from that time?" He suggested, standing up. Haruka felt excitement bubble up from inside her. She held back the smile that tried to paint her face in an unprofessional way. Haruka couldn't wait to see a garden again! She always felt so at peace in the gardens, surrounded by life and color. Though, it was a little too cold out for the flowers to be in bloom, the fresh air was more then enough nostalgia she needed at the time. She found herself standing much faster than anyone else, waiting as patiently as she could for them to get on their feet.

With everyone finally up and ready, Masato led them out of his mansion, opening one of the sliding doors to the outside world. Haruka nearly gasped at the sight laid out in front of her. The entire behind of the mansion was one, large garden. Rows of green plants lined up in rows lay ahead of her. Though the plants were not too green, nor were there any flowers among the bushes, it still brought back memories from her childhood. Around the middle of the garden was one, small river with a small, wooden bridge that hung over it. A few gravely paths weaved through the plants, allowing for easy exploration. She took a deep breath in, enjoying the fresh air she had missed for years. She felt like a kid in a candy store!

"It is a shame that it is still winter." Tokiya commented, causing Haruka to look up at him curiously. He gave her a small smile back down at her before continuing. "In the spring we have many more flowers planted."

"Yes, it is a shame." Haruka agreed, scarcely paying any attention to anything but the garden that was laid out in front of her. Masato gestured with his hand to Haruka, and only Haruka, to go down the stairs. Haruka thanked him and took the path he had pointed out. Haruka pulled up the sides of her kimono as she came down the stairs, as to keep the rim from getting dirty. She skipped the last step, smiling to herself proudly, like she did as a child. She would always be scolded as a kid, being told that she would get herself hurt. Haruka's smile widened as she was drawn back into her old memories.

"Jinguji, why don't we go down a different path, to speak business while the others enjoy themselves." Masato suggested. As much as he wanted to observe Haruka himself, he knew that Haruka wouldn't be herself around Ren and sending anyone else with Ren would be suspicious.

"Yeah!" Otoya said, jumping up. "I'll show you around-"

"With Tokiya." Masato cut in quickly. He couldn't have his brother losing them, or else they would never learn who the pinkett really was. Otoya sighed in agreement, not bothering to argue against Masato's demands. Otoya brightened up quickly, surprisingly taking Haruka's hand and pulling her along the path. Tomochika quickly followed, Tokiya trailing in behind, muttering in annoyance.

Masato and Ren watched the four figures disappear into the woods, farther down the path. Once they were out of sight Ren turned to Masato, glaring at him.

"Alright spill-why did you REALLY invite us?" Ren hissed. Masato glared back at Ren, a frown plastering his face.

"How often do you get to meet the 'Nanami Mystery Child'?" Masato asked, turning away from Ren down the path. Ren followed swiftly, close on the bluenett's tail.

"Oh please! I know you Hijirikawa- you don't do anything new without an alternative motive behind it." Ren growled, glaring daggers into the young Hijirikawa heir. Masato met his eyes without fear nor hesitation, fighting back against Ren's menacing aura.

"Perhaps I'm curious? You say you know me, so you know how I always want to know everything- especially being first to know. Knowledge is power and control, old friend. The more you know, the better you can make it in this harsh business." Masato explained.

" 'Old friend'? What are you, some old geezer?" Ren huffed, shaking his head. A playful smirk colored his face, chuckling to himself. "Next thing you know, I'll be hearing you shouting 'get off my lawn, ye young whippersnappers." Ren chuckled, shaking his fist in the air while speaking in an old person's voice. Masato let a small smile color his lips, sincerely amused.

"At least I wont be the perverted old guy, hitting on teenagers." Masato smirked. Ren stuck out his tongue, still smirking.

...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!...!

"Come on, it's right around here!" Otoya called, turning off the path.

"Ittoki-kun, are you sure thats safe?" Haruka asked, making her way into the bushes just behind him. Otoya simply called out for them to hurry, adding a quick comment of Tokiya's slow speed, to which Tokiya replied:

"You do know I pay you, right?" Haruka giggled, enjoying the little backs and forths between them.

"We're here!" Otoya yelled, stretching out his arms to signify 'here'. Haruka looked around, taking in her surroundings. They were in a small outcrop in the woods, a clear spot not too big yet not to small. Cozy. On the edge was a bench, small in size, white in color, able to hold a maximum of two people. Under the bench was a small, sealed container, filled with...stuff. Games, toys, books, pencils, paper, even crayons. "This is my secret fort!"

"Less of a secret now." Tomochika mumbled, pulling branches out of her now ruined hair.

"It's really cute!" Haruka gushed, spinning around like a school child. "I can tell why you picked this spot, it's nice and open, yet small. It's not too far from the path nor is it too close to be spotted. I like it." Haruka smiled, taking in the leaf littered ground.

"Yeah, I know right! It's perfect. I can draw, write, play- I can do almost anything in here!" Otoya smiled, proud of himself.

"Except be productive at your job." Tokiya grumbled, not proud of how his employe was spending his time.

"Oh, and the best par is...there is a ghost in here!" Otoya smiled, pepy as always, putting his knuckles on his hips while tipping his chin the the sky.

"A g-ghost?!" Haruka shrieked, jumping up.

"Yeah, but I'm not afraid of a ghost!" Otoya said proudly, puffing up his chest further. Haruka shook slightly, looking around in haste. Haruka jumped when she felt something touch her shoulder. She whipped her head around to see Tokiya, his hand laying lightly on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," Tokiya said, whispering. "There's no ghost."

"H-how do you know?" Haruka asked, tilting her head to the side. Tokiya studied her for a moment, analyzing her before answering.

"Because I'm the ghost. I just move the bench sometimes, put rocks in a pile, unpile them, scatter them around. Sometimes I'll move some of his books and mess up the order." Tokiya shrugged. Haruka, stunned, just stared at him. She never presumed Tokiya as the kind of guy to do that. "I only do it because it keeps him occupied and out of my business." Tokiya explained, sensing Haruka's upcoming question. Haruka chuckled nervously, sweat dropping. They were certainly an odd bunch.

Haruka watched as Tomochika tried to explain to Otoya that ghosts were not real, which Otoya did not agree with, claiming that he had seen ghosts before. Haruka smiled, enjoying the innocents of her two closest friends. They seemed to like to bicker with each other, but at least they would talk to the other.

Haruka suddenly felt a strange shiver down her spine. She turned around and nearly collided with Tokiya's face, which hovered rather close to her's. She flinched back, a little shaken by his sudden appearance. He stared at her, not bothering to hide his curiosity any longer. His dark blue eyes locked onto her, figuring her out.

"Y-yes?" Haruka said, finally gathering the courage to talk to him at such a close proximity. He pulled back for a second before coming even closer. Haruka gulped, feeling her palms get a little sweaty.

"I've decided," Tokiya said, not pulling away from her. "I'm fully interested in you."

_**Hey guys, I'm back, as always, on the schedule, down to a T! Sorry if this seems a little rushed and not detailed enough but this was a little last minute, I wrote this in, like, 40 minutes, not straight, but in around 40 minutes! And I'm all like-on a high right now! I literally didn't get one wink of sleep last night-not one! I was awake all night and I've been awake for over 27 hours now and I'm all, like, going crazy and stuff! I tried to sleep-don't doubt me! I tried to sleep for, like, 3 and 1/2 hours before I was all like "Screw it, I'm playing Pokemon!" I have a headache and I'm sure that I'm gonna feel terrible tomorrow. I'll try to get some sleep soon, but no naps, that will throw off my sleep cycle even more-I'll be all, like, nocturnal and stuff!**_

_**Please Fave, follow, and review and I'll see you all in 10 days.**_


	11. Diner

Silence. Nothing is more uncomfortable to Haruka then silence. It heightens the scenses, making every movement sound twice as loud. The slight rub of cloth from the changing of position sounded like a car's wheels on gravel, each breath sounded like the wind howling on a quiet and dark night, and her heartbeat sounded like a drum that could shake the world. Utter silence carries more sounds than a city, heightening the nerve, causing your mind to play tricks on you. Haruka felt a little spider crawl on her arm, but when her eyes shifted to the spot, nothing stood on her pale skin. A chill could be felt in ways not normally felt, seemingly destructive to the temperature, but was merely a draft filtering in from the small cracks of the door. The scraping and tinging of silverware and dining sets rumbled through the air.

Haruka shifted uncomfortable, the slight movement drawing everyone's attention for a mere second before ignoring her again. Haruka stared down at the bowl of rice and curry in her hand, her chopsticks hovering in the air. Why was it so quiet? Haruka let out a sigh, slumping her shoulders. Doing nothing was wearing her out more then she would have liked it to have.

"Do you not like it?" Haruka jumped slightly when Masato spoke suddenly, not bothering to look at Haruka when questioning her.

"Eh? Oh, no, it's very good, thank you." Haruka said, giving a slight bow to the young heir. Frankly, Haruka didn't like curry at all, she wasn't very good with spicy food in general but curry just seemed to hurt.

"Perhaps it is too spicy?" Masato asked, determined to figure out why she was displeased. Haruka shook her head harder, taking a few bites of curry to prove it was fine. Masato sweat dropped when Haruka's face bursted into flames and Haruka began to sweat from he curry's spiciness. Ren sighed, massaging his temples while Tokiya kept eating, ignoring her all together. "I'll have someone bring you something less spicy." Masato said, standing up.

"Thank you." Haruka sighed, putting her bowel down and letting out a sigh of relief. She looked over to Tokiya who calmly ignored her to her surprise. He had been watching her so closely lately that it was odd to be ignored so suddenly, especially after his odd comment.

"_I'm fully interested in you."_

Haruka blushed, remembering what he said, shaking her head vigorously as if it would send the thought out of her head. Her eyes remained on the tabletop, trying to ignore that thought. But what was with him? Tokiya seemed like the kind of person who doesn't care about others unless it benefits him. Haruka stared at him momentarily, flicking her head away when Tokiya peaked at her with his hard, dark blue eyes.

Tokiya found himself staring at her quietly after he found her gaze on him. Her cheeks had become slightly rosy He could tell by just one simple glance that Haruka was thinking about what he had said before and it didn't surprise him that she was pondering it so much, he was quite baffled by his overwhelming urge to speak to her as well. It was like she suched the words out of him, forcing him to, for the first time in his life, speak his mind to the fullest. He had been thinking about his past actions quite thoroughly throughout the diner, only snapping out of it when feeling her eyes wander over him. He stared at her without thinking, almost seeming entranced by her-which he was.

She was so different from any other woman he had ever met. So kind and caring without asking for anything in in return-taking on the problems of the world, holding them all on her small and fragile shoulders. He nearly felt an urge to throw out his arms and embrace her take over him, running a hand over her beautiful, crimson hair, tenderly whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

His eyes widened upon realization to where his thought were leading him. He merely shook his head to relieve himself of these indecent thoughts. She was a married woman- not that that meant anything of course, it's not like she was interested in her-he was interested in her, not she interested in him! Tokiya let out a quiet huff. Why did he think that? Why was he worried that she didn't have a thing for him.

The door slid open and Masato walked in. He held a bow in his hand, walking over to Haruka swiftly with his long, muscular legs. He placed the bowl in front of her, their hands brushing. He felt a shock run up his wrist, down his spine, causing the goosebumps to form all over his body. He pulled away quickly, moving back to his seat. He was no longer intrigued by her- he was excited by her. Never before had he met a woman of her caliber, prestigious, kind, child like-yet grown. She was so easily alarmed that is was very hard to get close to her.

And she gave him that feeling. He had never felt that before. He may not come in physical contact with too many people, but, regarding the few he has brushed and touched, he had never felt anything like that before. What was she?

"Oh, here, let me get that for you." Both Masato and Tokiya looked up just in time to see Otoya wipe Haruka's mouth with a napkin. Both Masato and Tokiya nearly fumed before composing themselves once more.

"Otoya, thats not necessary. Nanami-san is a grown woman, she can wipe her own mouth." Tokiya said, giving Otoya a secret glare, causing the redhead to back away from Haruka.

Finishing up the meal, they stood up, their bowls to be cleaned by servants later. Masato and Tokiya lead Ren, Haruka, and Tomochika out of the mansion and over to their car.

"I apologize that you couldn't stay longer but I have a business associate coming over in an hour and must get ready for him." Masato said, bowing.

"O-oh, no, that's perfectly fine. I'm glad you could have us." Haruka gulped, bowing haistly. "W-well, we best be on our way."

"Until our paths cross again." Tokiya bowed. Haruka turned to head to the car but stopped in her tracks, hearing a rattling sound. What the... Haruka shrieked when she felt herself lifted into the air and pulled into the air.

"CUUUTTTTEEEE!" A childish voice yelled, squealing.

W-who are you?" Haruka asked weakly, shaking slightly. She turned her head, getting a glimpse of golden hair. The face of a man soon came into view, a child like smile plastered upon his sunny face. His green eyes were hidden by his glasses and his curly locks fell over his face.

"I'm Natsuki Shinomiya, the heir to the Shinomiya Corporation!"

_**Natsuki-kun! Yay! Congrads to anyone who figured out that Natsuki was the business associate and sorry to everyone who I tricked into thinking he was not the business associate!**_

_**Please Fave, Follow, and Review!**_


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